Saving the World with Diplomacy
'Team Titan Think Tank Issue 23 "Saving the World with Diplomacy." ' The team continues their various preparations in the creation of BREAKER, whilst Sonne returns to London to continue work on his own new invention to store his genetic data, whilst Tonic asks for help for the last piece she needs in preparation of it. She requires nanite samples from Blitzkrieg's creation in order to have something to test BREAKER on and allow her to test its targetting of indvidual nanite systems (so she doesn't affect Sonne and GRANDADD with it), and as Waterstone has previously suggested, Michael Murphy, the former Team Titan member, Gunslinger, and his son, Leonard, are the only people on record that she knows of to possess Blitzkrieg created nanites. Mister Psychic agrees to lead the mission to Northern Island to talk to the Murphys, as he is naturally talented at diplomacy. He takes the team to Northern Ireland in another revealed mode of transport, 'The Pink-Wing', a private jet, which has a cloaking device like the Pink-Wing. On the trip over, Reb brings his new mask from Tonic, which he is immensely pleased with, and takes it off to allow Games Master to play Tetris on it, whilst Reb sits in the co-pilot seat next to Psychic with his own Game Boy, trying to explain to Mr Psychic how to play Tetris as he flies. Mister Tops reads a magazine on Men's Health, as he seems to have become obsessed with his physique since he has had to hone his fighting skills as he never able to use his growth powers in the Rumble Room. As the team make their way on foot after landing towards the Murphy house, human GSPD staff try to clear the way of civilians, after the velociraptor in a business suit attracts a lot of attention (Mister Tops stays aboard the Pink-Wing.) Cain his insistant on going with the team to help with diplomacy, despite reactions to his form. Michael Murphy comes to the (multiple pad-locked and chained) door as Mr Psychic knocks in it, and begrudgingly lets them in, after he tells them that he doesn't do the 'super hero thing' anymore and they tell him that is not what they want him for, but they do need to talk. He leads them into a dining room at the back of the house, whilst his wife, Lauren (formerly the villain known as the Hag) and his son, Leonard, sit in the front lounge watching television. Mister Psychic and Tonic primarily explain to Murphy what they want, with some significant help from Reb. Murphy is a little hostile as he has little knowledge of the heroes in the room but he does recognise Cain, though he has never fought him, but knowing his reputation, is not kind to him, and repeatedly calls him 'dinosaur', to which Yu eventually responds 'his name is Cain.' Tonic tries to explain to Murphy that giving a sample of his blood will save the world, to which Murphy is a little offended, as he already used his nanites quite literally to save the world to destroy Terraform by cutting his own wrists, back in the 90s, which killed his original body, however, the team manage to use his contempt of Blitzkrieg after much discussion to get him to begrudgingly give a sample of his blood. They then try and persuade him to let his son donate a sample, as his nanites are different and more powerful, and will allow Tonic to better guage to defeat Blitzkrieg's current nanites, which are also likely to be more advanced than Michael's. Michael is far more resistant to this idea; he explains that when they lived in Titan City, Blitzkrieg controlled his son through his nanites and used him to attack Team Titan, which is a tragic memory for the boy, and since, both parents have done their best to cut off their son from the superhuman world, and they even have a 'no powers' rule in their household. Again, the team manage to convince him by ensuring him that they will do their best to not mention anything about super-heroes, and just try and convince him that they need his blood to help people. Michael relents and brings his son into the kitchen, after Yu goes outside with Cain, to leave the more human members present. Reb explains the process as best as he can, to explain it from a child's perspective, but even then, Leonard doesn't really understand, and gets frightened by the idea; they say that his blood will save a lot of people, which he immediately thinks sounds like super hero business, and looks to his father. Michael doesn't want to lie to his son, and says that his blood could cure a disease thats affecting lots of people (meaning the nanite virus.) Tonic explains more, but the boy just gets upset and runs upstairs and slams the door. The noise attracts Lauren Murphy who is infuriated by the fact that these unknown people have upset her boy and she demands they leave, even using her hypnotic eyes to try and force them to leave, which works on Mister Psychic, who leaves the house, rather confused. When Yu and Cain ask what happened, Yu goes inside, and attempts to reason with the furious woman. Michael goes upstairs to his son to avoid argument with his wife, though he can't get in the room. Whilst Yu and Reb try and fail to convince the angry woman downstairs, Tonic manages to convince Michael to let her into the bathroom where she swabs a toothbrush of Leonard's to get a sample of his blood. With that done, she thanks Michael, and they leave. End of issue.